We have an amazing slate of speakers lined up for this year's Funding Forward. To help get you ready for our annual conference of grantmakers committed to LGBTQ issues, we thought we're compile some of the best pre-reading available. (See the full Funding Forward schedule here.)

Youth Criminalization
Thursday morning's plenary will focus on the plight of the approximately 300,000 gay and transgender youth arrested and detained each year. While LGBT youth represent between 5 and 7 percent of nation's youth, they compose between 13 and 15 percent of youth in the criminal justice system. (See the specific session here.)

The Future of LGBTQ Funding
Thursday afternoon's plenary will offer predictions about the future of LGBTQ funding. Joining us for this important conversations will be the CEOs of the Arcus Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the Gill Foundation, and the Levi Strauss Foundation. (See the specific session here.)

HIV/AIDS
Thursday will also feature a session sponsored by the Elton John AIDS Foundation and Funders Concerned About AIDS exploring the lived experience of gay men and transgender people in relation to HIV.(See the specific session here.)

LGBTQ Philanthropy in the U.S. South
One of Friday's sessions will feature Southern-based funders sharing new and innovative strategies for supporting LGBT organizations in the U.S. South and explore how we might build a sustainable infrastructure for increased LGBTQ funding in the region. (See the specific session here.)

BONUS:
Our closing plenary will feature a keynote from Piper Kerman, author of Orange is the New Black, which is the inspiration for the hit Netflix show of the same name. See the trailer for season two here.